Earth Night Club has opened in the former location of the Odeon (1295 Old River Rd.), the long-running concert club on the East Bank of the Flats. Developer Mike Tricarichi owns the building, but the club is operated by Eric Buckner, who ran Heaven and Earth, a former fixture further north on the street. Buckner moved into the club after failed bids on the vacant Ohio City building that housed Moda.
"It has that retro feel," says DJ K-Nyce, the club's resident DJ. "It still feels like the Odeon in a way, but I call it almost basement chic. You've got great lights and all the leather couches. It's almost like being in your rich uncle's basement."
The casual-upscale club pumps a steady flow of R&B, urban, Top 40 and hip-hop. A mixed crowd skews young for Thursday college nights, which tap the Cleveland State and Notre Dame campuses for party people dressed in '80s retro throwback cloths, button-down shirts or Birkenstocks. The playlist Thursdays through Saturdays spans from Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" to Savage and Soulja Boy Tell'Em's "Swing" to Lady GaGa's "Just Dance." Get a taste of the tunes at myspace.com/earthnightclubcleveland or VarsitySquad.Blogspot.com.
"It's a really good college night," says K-Nyce, who also presides over the B-Side Liquor Lounge's monthly old-school Potluck party, Touch's monthly Off the Wall R&B throwdown, and Silk's weekly Friday mashup night. "It's a good, raucous environment."
¥ Northeast Ohio's Blazing River Freedom Band has been invited to be a part of Barack Obama's inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, January 20. They will play as part of the 177-piece Lesbian and Gay Band Association (LGBA) band, representing an organization that includes marching and concert bands from the U.S., Canada and Australia. It's the first time an LGBT group will march in an inaugural parade.
¥ Rachel Roberts has played her last local show until June. The Akron singer-songwriter-bandleader is performing at the Sundance Film Festival January 15, then heading to Argentina for four months, where she'll study Spanish and tango music. She's recording two records. Her second solo disc, Lightning Loves the Kite, is due in May. The Brown Bag, the full-length debut from her rock band, Rachel's Secret Stache, is due this fall. "I will dearly miss my Ohio fans," says Roberts. "But they know I'll have new songs and twists when I come back for their listening pleasure." [email protected]
¥ Revisit the best songs of 2008 with Mick Boogie. The DJ teamed with Cornerstone Promotion for Cornerstone Mixtape #112, which features remixes of cuts by MIA, Q-Tip, Kanye West and others. The mix is available as a free download at MickBoogie.com. While you're there, grab Adele88, a remix of the singer's debut album, blended with golden-age hip-hop samples.
